Dominic Cummings: The question is, what would have happened to me if I'd travelled as far as Cummings did with a Covid suspect in my car?
I doubt I'd have had to resign from my job, but I'd have received a hefty fine had I been caught, as well as being told to go back home. There again, my job doesn't entail advising the government on strategy.
Had everyone who had a suspect in the house done the same as Cummings, the roads would have been choked with traffic as people moved Covid suspects around the country, in contravention of any notion of common sense, let alone basic epidemiology and instructions from the government. The whole point of the lockdown was to stay put to avoid spreading the virus around the country.
To break the lockdown twice is sheer arrogance. Those who are defending him are the very ones who would have called for anyone else breaking the lockdown to have been burned at the stake, as they tend to worship at the altar of authoritarianism. There again, they like giving orders, but not receiving them.
I've heard a figure of an estimated 20m people having flouted lockdown. Where that figure came from, I have no idea - probably Cummings' propaganda unit. However, it's one thing to break lockdown when you don't think you've been anywhere near a C-19 suspect, but a totally different matter when ferrying a C-19 suspect around the country.
Perhaps Cummings was simply spreading a bit of herd immunity around...
Where is that damned Russia Report?
I saw the following in the letters section of the Observer newspaper yesterday:
The Greek word krisis originally denoted that critical moment when things could go either way for the patient. We believe that our society is at a similar turning point. As we recover from Covid-19, we must confront other, potentially graver crises, and create a more caring, united and resilient society. We must:
Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC;
Baroness Ruth Lister. Loughborough University;
Richard Wilkinson. University of Nottingham;
Baron Rowan Williams, Magdalen College. Cambridge;
Jonathan Wolff. University of Oxford;
...and 33 academics, lawyers, writers and activists.
Sounds like sense - indeed, a manifesto for the future. Far too sensible for anyone to do anything about it.
Here's another idea. Lever Brothers built a factory at Port Sunlight and also built housing for their staff. Government should encourage, perhaps through tax incentives, manufacturers to build their factories in areas where they can also build attractive, affordable housing in the same manner as Lever Brothers did for the Sunlight Soap factory workers.
Had everyone who had a suspect in the house done the same as Cummings, the roads would have been choked with traffic as people moved Covid suspects around the country, in contravention of any notion of common sense, let alone basic epidemiology and instructions from the government. The whole point of the lockdown was to stay put to avoid spreading the virus around the country.
To break the lockdown twice is sheer arrogance. Those who are defending him are the very ones who would have called for anyone else breaking the lockdown to have been burned at the stake, as they tend to worship at the altar of authoritarianism. There again, they like giving orders, but not receiving them.
I've heard a figure of an estimated 20m people having flouted lockdown. Where that figure came from, I have no idea - probably Cummings' propaganda unit. However, it's one thing to break lockdown when you don't think you've been anywhere near a C-19 suspect, but a totally different matter when ferrying a C-19 suspect around the country.
Perhaps Cummings was simply spreading a bit of herd immunity around...
Where is that damned Russia Report?
I saw the following in the letters section of the Observer newspaper yesterday:
The Greek word krisis originally denoted that critical moment when things could go either way for the patient. We believe that our society is at a similar turning point. As we recover from Covid-19, we must confront other, potentially graver crises, and create a more caring, united and resilient society. We must:
- Revalue care: nurses and carers deserve a pay rise , not just a round of applause. We should reverse marketisation of our NHS, and better integrate physical, mental and social care.
- Reduce inequality: present levels of inequality benefit no one, fragmenting society, distorting democracy and overburdening care systems. We must reject austerity measures, house the UK’s homeless and consider implementing a , universal basic income.
- Get to grips with the climate and ecological emergency, by “baking in” good lockdown practices, adopting budgets in line with the UN’s 1.5 degree target, and localising production, consumption and travel where possible.
- Set up an independent public inquiry on the handling of the pandemic, to make sure the lessons are learned. Create a UK Citizens’ Assembly for the Future, selected at random, to counter the short-termism, lack of representation and bias of our political institutions. This body would work alongside parliament, focusing on longer-term issues such as disaster planning, institutional reform and the low carbon transition.
Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC;
Baroness Ruth Lister. Loughborough University;
Richard Wilkinson. University of Nottingham;
Baron Rowan Williams, Magdalen College. Cambridge;
Jonathan Wolff. University of Oxford;
...and 33 academics, lawyers, writers and activists.
Sounds like sense - indeed, a manifesto for the future. Far too sensible for anyone to do anything about it.
Here's another idea. Lever Brothers built a factory at Port Sunlight and also built housing for their staff. Government should encourage, perhaps through tax incentives, manufacturers to build their factories in areas where they can also build attractive, affordable housing in the same manner as Lever Brothers did for the Sunlight Soap factory workers.
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